Jewell still working old magic with Swindon

AS a young forward at Liverpool, Paul Jewell competed with Ian Rush for a place alongside Kenny Dalglish. He left Anfield at 20 but the lessons from Bob Paisley and other members of the famous Boot Room were not wasted.

Jewell became a Premier League manager by 35, led Wigan to a cup final and jousted with Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger. He is now mentoring League Two Swindon boss Richie Wellens and still believes in the Liverpool way he discovered 40 years ago. ‘I was in four squads: 13th man at Arsenal, 13th man at Newcastle, 13th man at Stockport and 17th man at Dinamo Bucharest,’ he reflects with a rueful smile.

‘But I don’t beat myself up about it. I’ve no shame to say the stuff I learned from Bob, Ronnie Moran, Joe Fagan, all these people, stayed with me. I hear people talk about recycling the ball, low blocks, the high press, reverse pivot. It’s f***ing b******s. Ronnie would shout “Close, close”. They used to call it closing down, now they call it the press and Rushy was the best at it. It’s a simple game.

‘Don’t tell anyone — the secret is bloody good players. If Lewis Hamilton drove a Robin Reliant and I had a Ferrari, who do you think would win?’

He returns to Anfield occasionally to watch games.

‘I’d love to have been one of those young lads who played in the FA Cup tie against Everton this year. To say you’ve played in front of the Kop, you can take that to the grave. Well, I did play in front of the Kop for the reserves but there was no one on it!’

Jewell was a better player than the ‘average’ description he gives himself, scoring more than a hundred goals for Wigan, Bradford and Grimsby. But it was in management he excelled, twice defying the odds to keep Bradford and Wigan in the Premier League on the final day of the season. He seemed lost to football until his former Bradford team-mate and now Swindon chairman Lee Power offered him the manager’s job at the County Ground.

Jewell didn’t want the job, but recommended Wellens, with whom he had worked briefly at Oldham. Power agreed, but only if Jewell came to help as director of football. ‘Richie knows I’m not after his job. If he got the sack, I’d go as well,’ he says. ‘I like the way he works and treats people. There is no reason he can’t get to the Premier League.’